Monday, March 4, 2013

House Projects

Okay okay, now that I've made a bit of real progress, I'll share the photos of the house projects I've been working on.

The main thing holding me back were my hideous couches- brown puke color and hefty - so no matter how many improvements I tried to make my house still felt blah! Recently I was able to find some great big blankets at Target that were the colors I was hoping for, so i threw them over the puke couches et voila! Just like that: instantly I could enjoy the other colors and decorations I was working on!

So first off is the ceremonial bow and arrow set: gathered the sticks from the woods, carved them up, painted and added feathers, the bow has a leather string. It was a lot of fun but also admittedly a lot of work.

They're hanging above our dining table. On the table is a collection of glass bottles, my favorite one being the milk jug stacked measuring cups from Anthropology that Kara gifted to me for Christmas. Yep, she's the world's best gift giver.

Detail of the arrows.

Detail of the bow and leather string.

Here's a detail of the amazing blankets I found at Target that saved my house from ugliness. There's a subtle Chevron pattern on the orange one, and a subtle chain pattern on the white one. It's the best I can do until I have thousands of extra sa$h money flow just lying around waiting to be spent on couches.

So this whole wall here is a combo of like 10 projects. The world map is painted on a large piece of burlap and hung with wooden dowel. Then there's the three pots I painted, the Asian buddah head (originally from an old temple somewheres in Asia, it's from Dad's greenhouse days of carrying antiques remember?) a gong re-purposed etc...

I'm so happy with the map because it turned the place from a massive blank cold wall to a cozy corner with great texture.

Detail of the dowel painted and sewn on... this part was a doozy! It took forever and each and every individual hole in the burlap had to be sewn or it would sag.

Detail of the painted map.

The golden crocodile, took this idea from a blog where she also painted a croc gold. I was super lucky to find this dude on clearance for $1. He started out as a green plastic toy before he was metaled up!

The gong and pot I painted, leaves I totally stole from city parks in the dark of night - yes true - as with the moss I also poached from a city park stone wall and glued onto balls to make moss balls.

I found this in a book called "Ancient Art of Kazakhstan and the Silk Road."

Detail of the pieces.

A look at the other wall. The garland cost about $1 total. It's puff balls sewn onto thick colored string.

The corner I'm currently working on, this picture wall isn't finished, it needs a few more pieces until it's complete (all of which I'm currently working on) and it'll be in the general shape of a triangle on it's side to fill in the triangular empty space here next to the TV.

Here's the unfinished view: all the picture frames I've painted and also many of them I made from scratch.

Details of the pieces: these two are Phil's great grandparents coming off the boat to Canada.

This is the pencil drawing I just finished framed and in it's new home.

A random striped piece whipped together real quick, and a cute picture of Susan at age 3.

A post card over 100 years old of a building at Princeton.

Two more old postcards, over 100 years old, I had to get these because they're hilarious. The top one reads "I hope Mary filled the tub / And Mary did."

The cute pic of little Susan!!!

These two are originals from the James Beard cookbook called the fireside cookbook. I am obsessed, I could hang every picture in that book... and I might.... they're all so amazing.

This is a picture of Pierre (Phil's dad) water-skiing.

Handsome handsome guy!!!

This is my fave of the old postcards I found, of course it's because it's in French and was sent from Paris over 100 years ago, and they put a little bit of color in the photo.

3 comments:

I can't believe you did all that on your own! I need you to come to my apartment and turn this drab brown couch of mine into something spectacular. I could use a bit of your talent. It's amazing! I just wish I could see Phil's dad close up. That's a pretty impressive picture! Good job Tawnowan. The style suits you and your family very well :)

Tawny!! This is AMAZING! The one of a kind original creations and unbeleavable art work you've made yourself are stunning! I'm so happy you shared the Piece de Resistance(s) with us! There are so many personal treasures I don't know how there could just be one. I absolutely love everything! You are extremely talented! Can't wait to see more! Love love love you!

The Latest with the Catudals-

Here we are:this is what we're doing, trying, searching, exploring, and enjoying.

Phil's back in school and we're in Oregon now! Oh Laie, how we miss you and wished we could never leave you... unless it's for France, New Zealand, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Switzerland... okay so I guess there's still a lot out there to see and do! Phil is attending MBA school now at Willamette, and at the same time has started a business (found at getzonedup.com). Teya is mastering the 1st grade and braggilitiously at the top of her class even though she's an entire year younger than her peers. Eden owns the family with her cute face and her sweet French (with funny "Franglish" phrases once and a while.)

As for the Chubby Panda, aka Me, I'm raising the girls because they're only young and cute once. Someday when they're no longer young or cute, I'll become a recluse taking obscene amounts of time to paint and create again.

( I do, however, spend of bit of my energy over on coconutsandcardamom.com)